“I live in Pasadena, Texas, and one morning I was heading to work early during rush hour. As I was getting off the off-ramp in Pearland, traffic was backed up, and I was waiting for vehicles to start moving. While sitting there, I noticed a large black bird high up in the sky.
Ken Gerhard, who is a good friend of mine, immediately came to mind. I’m a hunter and have been one my entire life. I grew up hunting, trapping, and fishing, and I’ve been shooting since I was about five years old. Because of that, I’m very good at judging distance and size when it comes to animals.
At first, I assumed the bird was a local vulture. But the more I looked at it and studied it, the more I realized it was much bigger than a vulture. This thing was about the size of a two-seater Cessna airplane. Even though it was some distance away, I could still make out several clear features.
I tried to take pictures with my cell phone, but even with zoom, it only showed up as a small dot—something that could easily be mistaken for an ordinary black bird. Then traffic started moving, and I couldn’t observe it any longer.
I’m extremely familiar with animals. Studying, researching, and working with them has been my entire life, and I’m 66 years old now. This sighting happened around 2011. Afterward, I got on the horn and called Ken Gerhard, leaving him a message. He called me back, and I told him exactly what I saw. Naturally, he asked me several questions.
I don’t know if anyone else noticed it or paid attention. I didn’t have time to see if other drivers were looking up at the sky. But I swear to God, what I saw was the Thunderbird. I know what condors look like. I know what turkey vultures look like. I’m very familiar with all of them—especially their size—and this was something completely different.” -Todd D.
